Archived decisions

Contact: John Mariner, ext 6922 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 Service 73 is a once per week service operating between Petersfield and Bordon and provides links from Liss and Greatham to both Bordon and Petersfield. It was introduced on an experimental basis 13 months ago following the withdrawal of a commercially operated service. The weekly cost of £120 is shared by Hampshire County Council (60% from the bus service support budget) and East Hampshire District Council (40%).

1.2 There is currently an Accessibility Pilot Study being carried out for Bordon/Whitehill as part of the Hampshire Local Area Agreement (LAA). In view of this, continued funding of service 73 to the end of the current financial year will help to inform the pilot by providing additional data. Similarly, it would provide more evidence of the impact on the experiment of free travel for the over 60s and disabled. The majority of passengers using the experimental service to date are elderly.

1.3 The most recent review of the experiment indicated that patronage averages 14 passengers per week with a resulting cost per passenger journey above the County Council's £2.50 criterion. The County Council has indicated that it can only support the continuation of this experimental scheme if its share of the funding be brought into line with the usual subsidy rate of £2.50 per passenger journey. East Hampshire District Council has agreed to provide the balance of the funding per week in order that the experiment can continue at least for the remainder of the 2006/07 financial year.

1.4 In estimating the cost to both authorities it has been assumed that the weekly cost may rise to £150. Based on an average of 14 passengers per week, Hampshire's commitment would be £1,050 (14 x £2.50 x 30 [weeks]). This would leave East Hampshire District Council to provide £3,450 (30 x £150 = £4,500-£1,050).

1.5 The County Council is developing more complex and sophisticated criteria for supporting bus services which reflect the key theme of accessibility planning within Local Transport Plan 2. For example, criteria may include journey purpose (shopping, employment, healthcare, education) and levels of deprivation.

1.6 Due to the importance of the Bordon/Whitehill LAA Accessibility Pilot, funding the service up to the current maximum of £2.50 per passenger journey (with East Hampshire District Council making up the remainder) should be continued to the end of the 2006/07 financial year. This would be a unique, one-off arrangement in recognition of these particular circumstances.

1.7 When the Bordon/Whitehill Accessibility Pilot has been completed and the new matrix approach for bus service support has been finalised, service 73 will be subject to the same criteria as all other supported bus services.

2. Local Members' Views

2.1 The local Members, Councillors Carew and Cartwright, support the proposal.

3. Impact Assessments

3.1 Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in this response but no adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender. The Transport Act 1985 requires local authorities in procuring socially necessary bus services to have regard to the needs of elderly and disabled people. The majority of passengers using the experimental service to date fall into the first of these categories and therefore benefit from the measures proposed in this report.

Recommendation

That from 1 September 2006 to 31 March 2007 funding for experimental service 73 Petersfield-Bordon be continued at £2.50 per passenger journey, with the remaining subsidy provided by East Hampshire District Council, in order to complete the Bordon/Whitehill Local Area Agreement Accessibility Pilot project.

1040Rpt/JM